


Steal Me Now, Steal Me Forever

by Zephex



Category: Ben 10 Movie, Ben 10 Race Against Time, Ben 10 Series
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Based on Ben 10 Race Against Time movie, Ben is underage, Eon is NOT Ben's future self in this story, Eon is a creep, Eon is completely separate from Ben, Gwen needs a hug, M/M, Nothing too explicit, Prequel to Body of Mine, ben needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-25
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-10 08:29:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10433595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zephex/pseuds/Zephex
Summary: When Ben is abducted by Eon, he can only pray he'll survive, especially when Eon has a more sinister plot planned for him. Gwen and Max are at their limit in worry. The Omnitrix won't work. And Ben is on the verge of losing himself... Put to the test, will the boy's sanity conquer or cave against an entity's vile intentions?





	1. Kidnapped

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off the movie "Ben 10: Race Against Time"

Ben struggled helplessly against Eon as the alien grabbed him, lifted him up easily, and silently took him away from the Plumbers and out of the hardware store while his henchmen played decoy. How could he have been so oblivious to the danger?

"Ugh! What are you doing?" the boy cried, kicking and trying savagely to escape the iron grip that held him.

"Rescuing you," he hissed, reaching over and tampering with the Omnitrix. In response, it shone a bright lavender as if short circuiting, sending shockwaves through Ben before completely shutting down.

"Let me _go_!" he screamed, managing to twist his body and elbow Eon in the gut. The alien relinquished his grip momentarily, clutching his side and giving Ben his chance to escape.

He sprinted several paces and paused. Frantically, he tried to activate the watch, twisting and pushing its face, anything to get a response, but to no avail. The Omnitrix remained white-faced and silent. "Come on!" he pleaded, voice wavering, willing his watch to work. Why did it never work when he most needed it? Glancing back up he saw Eon recover and approach. Utter fear welled up in his small chest. Spinning on his heal, he ran as fast as his legs could take him; his enemy close behind.

"There's nowhere you can run," Eon called after him in such a calm way that terrified the boy to no end. "Benjamin."

"Help!" he yelled as he rounded a corner in the desolate street. His cries fell on deaf emptiness. Casting his eyes about, he caught sight of a bike parked in a rack in front of a building across the street. Without a second thought, he came to it, threw the helmet on, and swung his leg over it, taking off into the night. He needed to shake his pursuer to then double back and find Grandpa.

Coming down the slick street, he eventually had to stop to catch his breath which had become exceedingly ragged. He coughed a bit and wiped his brow with a shaky hand as he tried to regulate his breathing. "M-Maybe I lost him…" he assured himself as he looked around the abandoned street. His hands were still trembling in the wake of his distress.

Then, without warning, the Omnitrix sparked and glowed again. An eerie screech penetrated his ears and he gritted his teeth as tendrils pain shot through his body to such an intensity that he toppled off the bike. Jarred as his mind was, and wholly encompassed by the agony, he barely noticed when a car wheeled to a halt next to him as the foreign shockwaves battered him mercilessly.

The passenger door of the car swung open as Eon reached out and grabbed a fistful of the brunette's shirt. "Nice try!" he hissed, hauling the dazed boy in and shutting the door into oblivion.  
________________________________________

"They're gone…?" questioned Gwen as she looked about.

"Hmm...Something's not right," Max said suspiciously. "Those creatures wouldn't have retreated unless they got what they came f—,"

"Grandpa?"

"Where's Ben?" he yelled, old eyes frantically searching for something.

"I-I don't know," Gwen stuttered. "Last I saw of him was when he backed up to go alien…Oh god! They must've got Ben!"

"We have a serious problem," declared Mrs. Dalton somberly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Who knows what Eon will do to the poor boy?" She threw her arms out in emphasis of her worry.

"But why take him away if the Hands of Armageddon is here? It makes no sense," protested Principal White, scratching his head in confusion.

Max rubbed his temples in frustration. White had a point, and Max had no answers; a fact that effectively made him livid. "I not sure why," he said, trying to retain his anger, "but what I am sure of is that we need to find Ben, and fast." The Plumbers nodded in unison at the declaration.

 _'I hope he's alright_ …' Gwen prayed as she buckled a laser-blaster onto her belt.  
________________________________________

A soft groan escaped Ben's lips as he slowly came to.

"Ah, finally awake are we?" came the deep voice, seemingly resonating from everywhere at once.

Opening his eyes, he took in the blurry area around him, pausing a moment when the world spiraled in his vista. "Where…am…I…?" he whispered dizzily.

"In your new, but temporary home, Benjamin," said the alien as he loomed over the large table that Tennyson lay on.

His light-green eyes widened a fraction, finally recalling the past events. "Eon!" he gasped. He sat up quickly only to be yanked back by the shackles on his wrists and ankles.

Eon simply laughed and waved a finger back and forth. "No, no my dear child. Can't have you running away from me now can I?" He turned, plucking a needle from a tray and faced Ben once more.

"W-What are you going to do with that?" the brunette asked fearfully as Eon squeezed it slightly, releasing a tiny stream of limpid fluid.

"This?" he pointed at the instrument in his hand. "This is a special sedative, just for you. I simply want to make sure you don't attempt anything when I relieve you of those shackles. And," he continued, a malicious grin darkening his frightful features, "because it'll be delightfully pleasurable to see you squirm."

Ben's breath caught in his throat and his heart all but stopped. "P-Please don't!" he cried as Eon lifted his shirt and pulled his pants down slightly. What did that freak think he was doing? "S-Stop!" Tears rolled down his cheeks as he saw the syringe settle just above the right side of his lower abdomen. He wanted nothing to do with that thing!

"Calm down. It'll only hurt for a moment," Eon sneered before sinking the needle into the hysterical child. Ben screamed at the top of his lungs as the instrument penetrated his skin and poured its sickly contents into him. He shrieked all the more as a burning sensation spread throughout his body. Oh God did it hurt! "Shh…It's alright," Eon whispered into the sobbing boy's ear, delighted at the pained sounds, though Ben was too far gone to hear.

After what seemed like an eternity, the pain died down into a full-body numbness that left his ears ringing. Even when the shackles were removed, he couldn't find it in him to move.

"That's it my little Ben. Just let the sedative do its job. Meanwhile, I'll be having a bit of my own fun with the rest of the Plumbers," the alien purred, passing a hand across the boy's cheek. Turning away, he snapped his fingers. Three of monster-like servants materialized before him. "Take the boy to the room. Make sure no one enters or leaves it." With that, he disappeared in a billow of violet smoke.  
________________________________________

"Well, the most we know is that Ben was abducted from here," Mrs. Dalton said, pointing to a street on a map of Bellwood. "It seems he fell off his bike. Most likely he was abducted by car."

"Do you know where it went?" Max asked hopefully.

"No...we don't. Look, I'm sorry, Max, but we can't find a single trace as to where they went."

"...No, no. You've done a good job…" Max couldn't shake the feeling that his dear grandson might already be in Death's hands. He shook his head, quickly pushing the thought aside. He had to keep trying. He couldn't give up on Ben. He wouldn't. "We must keep searching though! Ask the every resident around the area if they saw anything, anything! I want to know every car that has gone down that street in the last twenty-four hours and to where!"

Mrs. Dalton smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "As you wish."  
________________________________________

Gwen was running on thin ice. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that she would be so affected by the disappearance of her dumb cousin. But as she considered it, how could she not? Ben was around her age, ten, maybe a two or three months younger—a fact that she cherished and taunted him with—and was definitely much more immature than she. He was dweeb in her book. A silly boy that wouldn't wear colored socks because he was afraid they'd color his feet, and who cried terribly after she'd pinned him when they were five. And don't get her started on how obnoxious and dense he was on a daily basis.

But then again, he was always fun and unpredictable. A great hero, too.

She felt a tear roll down her cheek. "I'm so sorry Ben. I wasn't there to protect you."

Ben would always find his way into trouble. Either intentionally or unintentionally, he'd always get himself into something way over his head. That was where Gwen Tennyson would jump in and save the day, even if it was just her cousin's.

Sometimes he would trip or stumble and practically fall off a cliff or into a bottomless pit, or sneak into some store and play a new, off-limits Sumo-Slammer game and get chased down by a group of buff-looking security men. And who was always there to pull him from the edge and bail him out of trouble? That's right. _Gwen_. Sure, Grandpa Max did a heck of a lot, but he was getting old and slower and she, being young, was always around and keeping up with her hyper ball of annoyance.

She was crying now. Thoroughly sobbing; hiccupping occasionally. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them while resting her chin on her knees. Thinking about him and his stupidity made her miss him all the more. She too, was pushing away the thought that her cousin was no more among the living, or being tortured in some sickly cruel way and having the Omnitrix ripped from him painfully… She shook her head savagely. He was still alive. She knew it. "I swear I'll find you. I'll rescue you, and don't you dare doubt that for a second! I'm coming, Ben."

Leaves floated down onto the flattened grass at the base of a tree where it was once occupied. Empty it was now as the person walked determinedly away in search for a close friend and family member. This was her resolve.  
________________________________________

As Gwen joined the group of Plumbers that were congregated around the Rust-bucket, she noticed that something was wrong. Very wrong. It was dead silent and everyone was standing still. She regarded at them curiously while she approached.

"W-What's up you guys? Looks like you've all seen a ghost…" She didn't finish her sentence as she turned to the direction in which they were all fixated.

She gasped, covering her mouth with a trembling hand. There, right before her eyes, stood her cousin, Benjamin Tennyson. But Ben was not Ben anymore. He was something else. Something brutally broken.

His clothes were torn and slipping down his shoulders in shreds. Deep gashes covered his arms and legs and purple-black bruises lined his dirt covered face and chest. His hair was caked with dried blood—probably his own she feared—and ragged. But most alarming of all were his eyes. Irises once a bright green were now dark grey pits. Tears were flooding down his face, mixing with blood as they ran over a cut on his cheek.

"…Ben…?" she whispered, not believing that that was her cousin.

" _It hurts_ …," he said, his voice ghostly faint and raspy. He was trembling.

"Good heavens...Ben!" Max cried out, pitching forward to close the distance to his grandson.

 _" **YOU** did this to me!_ " he growled, his words laced with sudden venom. He pointed an accusing finger at Max, causing him to stop. " _And you did too_ ," he continued, glaring at Gwen.

"B-But Ben, we didn't…and Eon he…" she couldn't find the words. How could she? "Ben I'm so sorry!" she screamed shaking her head and rushing to him. She stopped two feet from him and met his pain filled eyes with her own.

"Ben, did Eon do this to you?" Max asked as he reached out to touch him, but his hand was swatted away. He lowered his gaze. That's when he noticed something even more horrible: the Omnitrix was gone. The boy's left wrist was terribly mutilated: skin torn off exposing raw flesh; coagulation in various stages as blood yet trickled down his hand. "…The Omnitrix…" His old eyes widened considerably. "Ben come here! We need to get you medical treatment immediately! Those wounds—,"

" _It's because of you that I've had to suffer like this. You guys didn't come to rescue me_."

"No, Ben!" Gwen protested. "We tried our b—,"

" _You abandoned me!_ "

"NO!" she sobbed frantically. "I'm so, so sorry! I just couldn't…" She lunged at him, wrapping her thin arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I never wanted this to happen to you! I wish I had protected you better! Please forgive me!"

"It's too late," came a malicious voice.

Max turned and locked gazes with Eon. A rage like no other began to boil inside him. " _Eon_ ," he roared, barely sustaining the urge to pull out his gun and blast the alien's brains out. He wanted to make the alien pay. He wanted him to suffer slowly, to make sure that the pain he had caused Ben hit him ten times as hard.

"Tennyson," he countered calmly, a grin plastered on his face. "Hmm, it seems like you've met little Ben here."

"You BASTARD!" Gwen screeched, still gripping onto the unresponsive male whom kept whispering ' _It's all your fault_ ,' to himself. "What did you do to Ben?"

"Me? Whatever I pleased."

The sound of laser blasters powering up echoed throughout the area as the other Plumbers gathered their wits and prepared to take down Eon.

Gwen felt sick. Everything was going too quickly for her. She looked at the cousin she gripped onto like a lifeline. She just couldn't fully believe that that was her Ben. Her immature Ben that always had a goofy smile plastered on his face, even in the face of danger. She'd let Ben down. She really had abandoned him—condemned him to such torture. Her heart was ripping itself in half. She was a monster. A monster that couldn't even look after her little cousin. More tears rolled down her cheeks mixing together with his.

It was then that she noted something strange. Something she had failed to notice before this proximity to him. In the crook of his neck, on the right side, was a small purple tattoo of a target. She leaned closer for a better look. Yep, it was there alright—smooth and shiny.

Her brows pulled together in thought. She never remembered Ben having a tattoo anywhere. Sure it could have been Eon who decided to have some sick fun and do that to him, but that was definitely not the case. This tattoo was different. She lifted her hand and ran a finger over the mark. Ben stiffened immediately, his muttering silencing. The tattoo was frigid to the touch. Something was unquestionably off; unnatural to say the least. She was unequivocally positive that Ben never had any tattoos on any part of him. How did she know? Sad to say that barely a week ago, Ben forgot to lock the bathroom door and she inadvertently walked in on him while he was showering. It took a total of five seconds before a hurricane of screaming and air born shampoo bottles erupted.

It was a mortifying experience, she knew. And, from then on, they both always knocked on the door, even if it was obviously empty before daring to even touch the knob.

Her cheeks were burning at the memory, but, as embarrassing as it was, she had seen Ben's entire body and there wasn't a trace of markings anywhere; just faultless skin.

Gwen’s grasp loosened as she pulled away and, without a second thought, she unclipped the laser-blaster from her belt, jammed the barrel in ‘Ben’s’ gut and pulled the trigger, sending him flying thirty feet before colliding with a tree, his body crumpling to the ground.

"GWEN! WHAT ARE YOU _DOING_?" Max screamed in horror when he saw what happened.

"That's NOT Ben!" she declared.

Eon's brows pulled together, his grin dying into a frown for a moment, but altered back to the amused look a moment later. "Smart girl.”

Fire Chief Woodington whirled around. "Where's the _real_ Ben?" he demanded, knowing full well that Gwen would never lie about such a thing.

"Hm, saw through my little trick, eh? Sorry, he's taking a little nap right now, so he can't come play yet. But I promise he and I will have some fun of our own."

"Even if you have the Omnitrix, you need the Hands of Armageddon to bring your race to earth, so you might as well give up and give us Ben back!" shouted Mister Hawkins, the postman.

Eon grinned all the more. "You see, my dear Plumbers, plans have changed… I'm not after the Hands anymore." Gwen and Max looked at each other in confusion. "Ah…I believe it is time for me to bid you a farewell."

"You're not going anywhere, Eon!" shouted Max aiming his blaster at the alien's breast. The rest of the Plumbers, including Gwen, followed suit.

"Too late." As his words left his mouth, a torrent of beams littered the area as the blasters fired at the already disappearing Eon. Only a cloud of violet smoke remained where he once was.

"What could he be planning…?" Max questioned, nausea dominating his innards.  
...


	2. Weakened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to read the warnings. Eon is a friggin' creep I tell you.  
> I own nothing except the plot.

He lay in a dark, quiet room. He didn't know how long he'd been there, or even where 'there' was but it did a perfect job of scaring him. The only thing his noticed was the numb and tingling sensation throughout his body and his parched throat. Anything besides that he couldn't quite comprehend through his hazed thoughts.

His mind was spinning, nausea settling in his stomach, he noticed, after a couple of minutes. He felt feverish. Not just the "I'm feeling a tad warm" sort of feverish, it was more like the "Please lord above help me I think I'm going to die" sort of feverish and he hated every bit of it.

After a few more minutes, he was able to think more clearly. How unfortunate, really. First, he settled on the thought that he was being held captive by some deranged alien in god knows where. Of course, he could have at least looked for some way to escape had he not been drugged and unable to move, but that wasn't the case.

Next was the realization that he was completely helpless without the Omnitrix. Ever since Eon had showed up, it had been whacking out and short-circuiting till it just broke down completely. No more was he Ben 10, the superhero. No. Now he was just Ben Tennyson, ten-year-old boy with extremely bad luck and too many enemies. Yeah, that summed it all up.

' _I hope Grandpa and Gwen are alright_ …' Suddenly he felt utter sadness well up inside him. He missed his grandfather and cousin so badly he was on the verge of bawling.

He could still picture Grandpa Max serving a bowl of earth-worm stew, or showing him and talking to him about high-tech gadgets that the Plumbers used to kick alien butt. He also remembered how fun it was to tease Gwen and watch her go all nuts when he took over the computer to play Sumo-Slammer. He also remembered how she always bailed him out of trouble and watched over him like an older sister.

Tears brimmed his large green eyes. He'd let Gwen and Grandpa and all the Plumbers down. He'd gotten caught because of his carelessness and pretty much handed himself and the Omnitrix over to the worst person—alien—that it could have ever gotten to—well, behind Vilgax that is.

"I never should've gotten the Omnitrix," he whispered to himself. "It could have been given to a worthy hero rather than just a stupid freak like me…," The tears were stinging his eyes, but they fell naught. "I miss Gwen…" He closed his eyes and finally let the tears flood down his cheeks.

He surprised himself by what he'd just admitted. Never would he have thought that she, of all people, would be the one he missed the most. Ninety percent of the time that they were together was spent bickering for any little thing. They could hardly be in the same room together without attempting to strangle each other, let alone the same area. And yet, she was the one he was thinking about. Maybe it was because she was about his age and he was around her more often. It could have possibly been because he enjoyed bothering her so much.

He thought for a moment. No. It was all of those reasons, yet none. It was because she took care of and looked after him. It was because she was the one he always tried to impress, the one he wanted prove to that he was not just some dumb boy, that he was a hero, someone worth spending your time on. She was, he now noticed, his best friend.

His heart ached like never before. He gripped his burning chest, gasping for the breaths that were coming short and sobbed uncontrollably. He felt so horrible, so alone. His breaths came shorter and shorter, everything becoming a huge blur. He wheezed and coughed and cried still. He failed to notice something materialize in front him as he succumbed to unconsciousness.  
________________________________________

"How sad," Eon intoned as he looked at the unconscious ten-year-old. "You missed that priceless look on the faces of your grandfather and cousin. Pretty intelligent, that girl, but easily deceived if you play your cards right." He glanced at Ben once more. Something was a bit off. Ben's small chest was barely rising and falling; his face pale and cheeks dark pink. Awkwardly, he removed his helmet and placed his ear atop the boy's chest.

Instantly he took note of the accelerated heart-beat and wheezing when a breath was taken. "Asthma," he concluded. "Hmm. I guess that injection must have brought it out from slumber."

Ben had asthma. At least, he'd _had_ asthma when he was little. Around three years of age was when he had his first attack. Barely made it to the hospital in time. From then on till he was six, he was in constant fear of triggering another one. It had happened only three times more since the first. Once when he'd gotten all hyped up over a game of hide-and-seek when he was four; another shortly after he'd been pinned by Gwen at the age of five; and the last when a school bully had locked him in a tiny broom closet—he was also claustrophobic—the day before his sixth birthday. That time he was carted away into an ambulance again with the bully getting off with only a time-out and a restraining order.  
Strangely, after that, he never got it again, to his greatest relief.

Eon knew all about this. How? He had been watching the boy since his birth, waiting for his energy to replenish and for the right moment to strike. And now, Ben was his. No longer would he have to stalk him from afar or watch him sleep so peacefully and out of his reach. Now the boy's life was in his hands. But if he didn't do something, his young captive would die of an asthma attack, ruining everything.

An inhaler. That's what he needed. But how would he obtain one? It's not like he could—or would for that matter—waltz into some public pharmacy and say "Good day. I'm the evil alien called Eon, come here to purchase an asthma inhaler for my ten-year-old captive whom I'm torturing." Ludicrous. So then how…?

Then it hit him. Gwendolyn Tennyson. Benjamin's cousin. She could acquire one for him. She would do anything to see her little Ben. He didn't even have to force her to, considering she knew all about the boy's asthma. He doubted she'd refuse to help. Ben's life was on the line.

But then again, he was, hard as it was to believe, weary. Conjuring up a Ben doppelganger wasn't as easy as it seemed. It drained him of about three-fourths his energy. He'd only enough strength to observe his little trick and nothing more, much to his chagrin. He'd just have to treat Ben with the various machines at his disposal until his energy renewed. Then, he could find a method to create a somewhat 'cure' for Ben's asthma—at least something that would put it back into dormancy. He was sure something like that could be achieved with his level of technology. Moreover, he had Ben in custody; DNA samples were abundant for testing. Still, the process in itself would prove rather difficult. So, in the end, should his means prove ineffective, he might requisite the inhaler. And Gwen was his ticket.

He sighed and brushed a lock of ebony hair back into place. "You always find a way to make things difficult, don't you?" he asked the unresponsive boy.  
________________________________________

Again he woke up in an unfamiliar place, but this time, he could move and think clearly. Not only that, but he could breathe much better. Why? Who cared? He sat up, rubbing his eyes and looked around.

He guessed it was the same room he'd been in before though it looked more like a cell. The bed he lay on was rather large compared to his small size and up against the back and left wall with tattered old sheets and a worn pillow.

The walls were mostly bare, save for some—to Ben's disgust—mold growing in various places. There was only one window and it was set just above the frame of the iron door that was the only way in or out. It was barred and small and didn't lead to the outside, only into the inner parts of the strange place he was in—letting in an eerie light.

He flexed his arm. An odd, almost unnoticeable tingling feeling lingered in the bend on his arm. He glanced on the floor next to his bed. There were two syringes left discarded—used—next to a strip of cloth and bottle of rubbing alcohol.

Wonderful, he'd been injected with some unknown crap again.

Awkwardly, he slipped his legs to the side of the bed and slid down till his bare feet touched the moist cement. Instantly his stomach lurched. Ignoring the discomfort, he stood and made his way to the door. Automatically, he tried turning the knob. It was locked. ' _Duh, Ben! Obviously they're not just gonna leave the door open so I can waltz out. …Well, it was worth a try_ ,' he thought dryly.

At the risk of possibly being tortured, killed, or forced to endure a punishment much worse death itself—he refused to imagine what it could be—he knocked once, hesitantly. When no answer came, he knocked again with much more vigor, yelling out, "Hey! Let me out of here! Open up!"

Banging on the door was useless, but he didn't care. Even though he was scared, Ben was still Ben; hyper, stubborn, and hating every moment he stood there in the intoxicatingly quiet room. After a good five minutes of continuous banging, he glanced down at the Omnitrix that clung to his wrist. He poked and twisted it but the most it did was spark slightly. Not even a beep.

He looked around. Not that there was much else to see, but out of lack of options. He sighed. Then something hit him. It wasn't something he wanted to realize in this situation but, hey, he was human. He glanced around once more, knowing full well what he was looking for wasn't there. He pressed his knees together and bit his lip; he needed to go. Go as in _go_. And there was no toilet. One would think, hey, you're a guy, just go against the wall or something. Chea, right! Ben knew better than that. First off, he wasn't the kind to just pee anywhere, as hard as it is to believe, and second, who in their right minds would carry on their necessities in the cell they were trapped in for god knows how much longer? Gross. But this was a problem indeed.

The pressure in his lower regions was becoming uncomfortable. He swallowed a lump in his throat and turned to the door once more. He _really_ had to go! Plus, he wasn't very well acquainted with bladder-control.

Banging on the door was his only solution.

"Come _on_! I gotta go to the bathroom like really, really bad!" Ben shouted as his already sore fist made contact with the iron door. No response. Not even the slightest sound. He pouted. Already he was unnaturally tired and his discomfort was increasing by the minute. "What the heck is wrong with you ya dumb alien freak! Would it kill you to let me use the bathroom?"

He was just about to plant his fist on the door again when he heard a loud click and some scuffling sounds.

He stumbled back and stared wide eyed at the door. After a moment, a voice rang throughout the room.

"Hello my dear Benjamin…Did you have a nice sleep?"

Ben gasped and almost fell over himself as he reeled back, fear gripping him so tightly he found it hard to breath. "E-Eon!" he yelped.

"Yes," grinned the alien as he stepped through the doorway. "How perceptive of you." He hooked his hands behind his back and took a seemingly idle, yet truly deliberate step forward, looming tall over the boy. "You were calling?"

Ben desperately shook his head. "N-No, no!" he stuttered, frightened. Suddenly too scared to even move. This was completely ridiculous, though. Had he not just been ramming the door with his fist and yelling at the alien for his attention ten seconds earlier? Of course he'd been calling—or more appropriately yelling—for Eon. That was a dumb question. … _Responded with a dumb answer_ said a little voice in the back of boy's mind.

"No?" inquired Eon, amused. "Then there's absolutely nothing you desire." The alien smirked at the child, eliciting a shudder from him.

He gulped, attempting to swallow the lump that remained lodged in his throat and tried regulate his erratic breaths. Somehow, all his self-confidence, all his bravery seemed to crumble when Eon was around him. Wasn't that just lovely?

Maybe it was because he knew that since the Omnitrix wasn't working whatsoever, he was as helpless as one could get. A 'damsel' in distress, only, he was a boy. He could prove it too. Not that he would, but just for public information.

Of course, such random, silly thoughts were to be expected from a ten-year-old.

Ok. So just cowering away and denying the truth every time Eon came around wasn't doing anything for him. Crap. He'd just have to tell the bastard.

"W-Well," Ben started, rubbing his neck and hoping the occasional stuttering would go unnoticed, "there is something…"

Eon raised a brow. For some reason, Ben had never got to noticing how 'human' Eon looked, especially without his helmet on. He obviously wasn't, but he looked like an average adult man. Maybe a tad taller than the average man; a teensy bit stronger and menacing looking with his glares and weird outfit; and if you glazed over the fact that he had some weird powers, he could pass. In fact, though he would never admit it, Eon looked rather handsome—in a creepy, I-am-liege sort of way—but handsome nonetheless.

That trait did nothing to diminish his aversion and fear of the man.

Ben shook the thoughts away and continued on. "I need to…um, you know…go."

"'Go'?" the older man echoed ignorantly. "I'm sorry but I can't allow you to leave." He grinned. "You're mine now."

' _Not really what I was hinting towards—though escaping would be on the top of my list if I could—but that's some major creep out stuff right there_ ,' the emerald eyed boy thought, unable to control the cold shivers disturbing his spine.

It was already past the discomfort stage. Now it was full on hurt as he tried to hold it in—his poor bladder couldn't take much more of this. He was even starting to shift from one foot to the other; dancing a little jig.

It was either tell the dumb freak outright, or wet himself in front of his arch enemy—one of his many arch enemies at least (the list could go on and on in that topic).

Yep. He was going to make it as blunt as any child could.

"I need to pee." Short, simple, to the point.

Sudden realization dawned on the alien and he mouthed an 'oh' before letting out a laugh. It wasn't an evil cackle, but a simple genuine laugh. It sounded almost human…

Ben blinked rapidly in shock that soon melded into offence, his fear forgotten momentarily.

"Hey! What's so funny?" he huffed, jutting his lower lip out in a pout that made him look even more childish than he was.

Eon wiped a tear forming in his eye from laughing so much. He found it absolutely hilarious and endearing how the boy said it. He didn't think his little Benjamin needed to relieve himself. By 'go' he thought the boy meant he wanted to leave—as if that would happen—so it hit him as funny when he broke it to him. He should've anticipated that Ben wasn't one to go against a wall or something. That was an error on his part.

Once he was sure the laughter was out of his system, he glanced down at the boy. The smiled on his face dropped as soon as he saw the child's face. He was simply breathtaking. His slightly pink cheeks, glistening rosy lips, enormous green eyes that were squinted in a glare…

"Can you _please_ just take me to a bathroom?" the boy begged pitifully, hands gripping the front of his pants, knees trembling.

A malevolent smile touched Eon's lips, gone unnoticed by Ben. "My poor boy, of course. I'll take us right there." Ben nodded then gasped when the man snaked an arm around his small waist. "Close your eyes," he whispered into the boy's ear.

He obeyed and shut his eyes tight. Why? Heck, he needed to relieve himself so bad he'd have done just about anything. Just about.

A cold sensation enveloped the brunette, as if someone was pouring cool water all over him. He then felt a gust of wind literally blast through him; cool yet strangely exciting; his mouth opening in surprise.

After a moment he opened his eyes slowly…

To find he was in a different place! And a restroom at that!

He rushed to the toilet and, completely forgetting the fact that he wasn't alone, unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, letting out a sigh of bliss as his need was now met.  
________________________________________

Smack!

"That attitude isn't helping anyone, you know."

Smack!

"You're acting very childish considering you're supposed to be the older of the two."

_SMACK!_

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" bellowed Max as he approached.

Principal White was shaking his head. "I tried to tell her it was useless, but she just wouldn't listen…kids these days," he said dryly; the tiredness was apparent in his eyes.

Gwen wheeled around, glaring daggers at her 'principal'. "What do _you_ know?" she roared, shaking an angry fist in front of his face.

"Gwen, calm down! He's right; you getting all worked up isn't helping. And much less is kicking that poor tree," Max reasoned. "I'm just as frustrated and anxious as you are about all this but better if you focus all your anger on something productive."

Gwen scrunched up her little nose. She hadn't the same amount of patience as the others. And she was up to her eyeballs in worry. This was all just a ridiculous goose chase. Even with all the looking and 'advanced technology' that they had at their disposal they _still_ hadn't found a _trace_ of where Eon was keeping Ben! Not one freaking trace! It was like trying to catch a fly with your bare hands in a pitch black room. You couldn't find it and even if by some unfathomable miracle you did, you'd be unable to grab it. It was too fast, too silent. Mocking your hopeless efforts with its gallant escape. It made you want to spit in its ugly little face and squish it with your shoe. Then laugh at the empty accomplishment because what you truly were after slipped from your grasp yet again.

Oh, sure, viciously smacking a tree might not be the most productive thing in the world, but it was a crude way of managing stress. Just take it out on a poor old tree. Verrrry calming.

She pouted, but remained silent as she retreated deeper into the depths of the forest. Not in the least hiding the fact that she was ticked.

Max sighed loudly before dropping down onto the log that Principal White was sitting on; his face falling into his hands as a groan rumbled in his throat. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally. They'd scoured practically the whole town of Bellwood and have yet to find a clue that might put them on track to finding Ben. Worst part was that they had no idea if Ben was still alive or not; and the fact that they had emotional bonds to him was making everyone nervous and agitated. Who couldn't care for such a straightforward, hyperactive, little goofball like Benjamin? Maybe it was the way his eyes glistened like priceless emeralds each time that smile of his graced his face. Or how his curiosity would end him up with his face firmly stuck in, or smeared with various sorts of muck or food. Or it could've been his general stubbornness that made him a great hero… Who knew?

His eyes stung slightly with tears that he refused to let fall. "White…I just don't know what to do anymore…nothing's working and it seems as if our efforts are useless," he said helplessly.

Mr. White placed a comforting hand on his back and gave his fellow Plumber a firm pat. "All we can do is try, Max. All we can do is continue looking with just as much passion and hope as when we started. And frankly, I intend on doing just that. We won't give up on Ben. We mustn't."

Tennyson looked up at Mr. White with tired, old eyes before shifting his gaze up to the sky. "I just pray he's alright, old friend. I can only pray…"  
________________________________________

Gwen was currently perched atop a very high branch in a tall willow tree. No, this tree she wasn't kicking savagely. This tree she was sitting on as her thoughts fought to make sense of what her mind was going through. She couldn't explain the raw ache that scraped at her heart with every pulse. Nor could she fathom as to how her eyes could produce so many tears that were now sliding down her cheeks and dripping off her chin down to the earth far below. What she did know was that she missed Ben so badly the pain had become physical as much as it was psychologically.

Up to now, Ben had been the hero. Saving people, taking down bad guys despite all the danger. Not to mention he was only ten years old! Ok, so she was ten also, but she was a couple of months older, and girls matured faster than boys. It was proven.

She stared blankly into space. She felt terrible. And the best she could do to help was cry and beat the crap out of trees.

"I gotta do something!" she whispered to herself. "I have to find a way to lure Eon out of hiding. That's my best shot."

Easier said than done. What could she have that would make Eon want to come? She didn't have the Omnitrix like Ben, or some fancy ultra-secret weapon of mass destruction like the Plumbers. All she had was herself and a little spell book that she still couldn't use right.

She sighed loudly and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her turquoise sweater. She paused then and stared at the wet sleeve, a broken sob slipping through her lips. This sweater was a birthday present to her from Ben; signed on the collar by her favorite actress. It was when they went to that fair a year earlier…he'd won it for her at one of the events, the pie eating contest…eaten more than some guy twice his age…and ended up puking five times and bedridden for a week.

"Oh, Ben! I failed you so bad!" Gwen sobbed, clutching the fabric with desperate fingers; trying to keep her sanity against the almost unbearable pain of loss.

Suddenly, she sighted some movement through her peripheral vision. Slowly looking over, she faintly made out the dark silhouette of some sort of creature.

"W-Who's there?" she called out, dumbly.

"Wish you find cousin, wish you?" hissed a scratchy, sandpaper-like voice.

"Wha—How do you know that?" she asked confused, sniffling still.

"Wish you find him? Friend knows how; tell girl where Ben is, can he!" Although it had a really weird way of speaking, Gwen automatically understood the message it presented.

"Yes! Yes, _please!_ Where is he? Who are you?" she yelled excitedly, not hesitating to think over the possible consequences of making deals with some creature she didn't even know. If it meant she could find Ben, she honestly didn't care.

"Viskaas I am. Friend I am. Benjamin is near, more than think girl. I take girl to him." The creature finally came into view making Gwen gasp and fall out of the tree in shock.

She was surprised when the ground stopped rushing to her. Disoriented for a moment, she blinked a couple of times and shook her head slowly. After a bit, she looked up and saw she was in the arms of what looked like one of Ben's aliens from the Omnitrix. It was XLR8. Well, sort of, except he was completely grey save for his head which was silver. The mask pulled up and an equally grey face spoke to her. "Careful be girl."

"Gwendolyn. But call me Gwen," she said, still in awe.

"Gwen, yes. To Ben I take her, to Benjamin Tennyson." Before she could utter another word, it gripped her tightly and charged away in a blur…


	3. Stop It...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read warnings! This chappy's got some Eon creep-factor!!  
> I own nothing aside from the plot.

Ben absently watched the water swirl in the toilet as he buttoned his pants, feeling somewhat light in the stomach. He touched his belly and turned around. A frantic yelp ripped from his throat when he smashed into Eon, flailing his arms wildly as he lost his balance. But just as he fell back, a muscled arm secured him and steadied him.

' _Oh, man…I can't believe I forgot he was here!_ ' Ben thought frantically, a velvet blush conquering his cheeks. He didn't appreciate the arm about his waist. "E-Eon!" he gasped.

Eon was grinning down at Ben as his other hand came to rest at the front of the brunette's pants. His grin widened considerably when he heard the boy's breath catch and head snap down to look at the intruding presence.

Eon lazily trailed a finger down from the lip of the child's pants, across the button and down to the base of the zipper.

"H-Hey! W-W-What are y-you—" he was cut off sharply as Eon let his finger slide through the unclosed zipper. Immediately Ben went to shove the hand away, face contorted in fear and disgust.

"No, no," the 'man' purred, gripping the fabric and yanking the boy closer, "I just want to help…"

Help? What the heck was he helping _with_ , Ben wondered in fear, looking up at his enemy with confused and frightened emerald eyes. He abruptly realized that, should he desire to, Eon could easily cause him harm. The Omnitrix bearer felt his chest tighten.

Then, Eon suddenly grabbed the zipper hilt and pulled it up, closing up the boy's pants. Ben was stupefied.

For a minute, Eon simply studied the boy. He was so tiny, even for a boy his age. It was amazing that he could hold his own in a battle. "You should bathe," he said, out of the blue.

It took the boy a moment before he understood it was directed at him. He looked down at himself then at the floor ashamed. He was a mess. And he probably smelled just as bad. Then what happened just moments before hit him like a ten-ton wall. "Oh, no. Not while you're around!" he blurted.

The alien raised a brow. "And why's that?" he asked pulling the child closer. "Do you think I'll take advantage of you?"

Ben's eyes widened considerably in fear. "Y-You pedophile!" he accused loudly, trying push away from the much older male.

The raven haired man let out a deep chuckle. He let go of Ben, only to seize both his wrists in one hand and slam him against a wall; hands pinned above his head. Ben grunted as his head met the wall. "Pedophile is such a...horrible word. You should learn some manners…" Eon grinned deviously.

He then pressed his knee in-between the boy's legs and slowly pushed it up, raising Ben up by the fork of his legs.

"Gah! S-Stop it! Put me down!" he cried trying to wriggle his hands free, legs kicking futilely for the ground out of reach. He stopped; suddenly feeling that the more he moved, the more friction there was between Eon's knee and himself. He felt the blood burn his cheeks. He couldn't do anything. Eon was too strong and his heart was pounding so profoundly against his chest he thought he'd have a heart attack. He couldn't believe the position he was in: sitting on his enemy's leg like he was riding it…he'd never live it down. Not to mention how uncomfortable it was for him. It rather hurt.

Eon leaned in close. "Apologize," he said.

Regardless of the very real threat behind the order, Ben shook his head and refused. He wasn't going to say sorry to his enemy.

"Oh? Very well then," he sighed. The man then used his free hand to fish out a syringe from his coat pocket and waved it in front of Ben's face. "You're rather agitating. I don't take kindly to disrespectful children. I suppose you'll have no say in any matter for a while." Without warning Eon pushed the needle into the boy's leg, eliciting a pained scream, and injected the serum. It was a sedative of course, but a unique one that wouldn't aggravate his asthma like the previous one did.

Benjamin instantly fell limp. He was unable to move, he felt so weak and sluggish. He glared at Eon feebly and before he knew what was happening, he was in the man's arms as he opened the faucets in the tub.

Terror rocketed through him in waves so strong he became nauseous. But once again he was rendered helpless by Eon's ploys.

It was all too soon that the bath was ready and Eon was already stripping him of his shirt. He came to Ben's pants and slowed purposefully. He toyed with the button before popping it open; tugged lightly on the zipper and slowly brought it down, relishing at the boy's still increasing heartbeat as it came lower and lower. Then suddenly he had no pants on anymore. His pale green boxers felt rather thin as the barrier between Eon and himself.

Just as the man's hand touched the elastic on his boxers, Ben found the strength to grip his wrist. "…Please…don't…," he begged, feeling his stomach perform back flips. This was wrong, he just knew.

Eon paused for a moment. The boy looked about ready to bawl. He was trembling, whether from the cold, fear, or mortification he couldn't quite tell. And then, on a whim, he elected to take mercy on the child.

He removed his hand from Ben's undergarments and none-too-gently dumped him into the tub. Securing the brunette's head, he snatched a bottle of shampoo, poured some onto the mess of brown hair, and worked it into lather.

Unwillingly, Ben felt himself relax to some extent in the warmed water. His eyes slipped closed, feeling dizzy and drunk from the sedative. Eon's hands stroked and petted his skull with a gentleness he'd never thought the alien could possess, urging the boy to sink into a deeper level of torpor. There was something about being petted that always quieted him; almost like a gentle assurance. Nevertheless, he still disliked the proximity between himself and the adult alien.

Eon tilted the boy's head back and rinsed his hair.

As Eon continued down his shoulders and back, Ben felt this was as good a time as any to ask, if not his only. "Eon?" he slurred slightly.

"…Yes, Benjamin?"

"…What is it that you want from me? I th…I thought you were going to use the Hands of Armageddon ta’ bring your race ta’ earth. But…I don' see how I fit into the picture."

Eon noted the mild slurring and how slow the child’s pulse was. Even so, physically, he wasn’t in any danger. The drug was simply efficacious.

The answer did not come quickly.

The alien persisted in his task, scrubbing everywhere and dismissing what the boxers covered; which would have to do with only the soaped water Ben sat in. After applying more soap to his hands, he moved to wash the boy's face. Ben closed his eyes as fingers traced below his brow line, anxious for the riposte that was late in coming. He sputtered when water was dumped over him, removing the soap.

Finally, the alien caught the boy's emerald eyes in his own; Ben’s pupils were dilated.

"That was the original plan, yes," he admitted coolly, expression unreadable. "I meant to merge my body with yours, giving me both the power of the Omnitrix and a younger self in which to channel all that strength." He trailed a finger along Ben's jaw, watching the reaction; the youth shivered in discomfort. "But, then I realized that with merely a touch to you, my power grew on its own; my youth returning to me.

“It was a promising breakthrough, though, considering it wasn’t too much in my liking to make you disappear." He paused for a moment, gazing at the child for some time before continuing. "I came to the conclusion that if I just took you for myself, you'd be my source for energy and—ah— _entertainment_ … The hands and my race became insignificant as long as I had you. I'd be unstoppable, and you'd be mine."

Ben studied his face, wondering where this was leading to, searching for any clues the man's expression could betray to him. "What exactly do you mean?" he asked; his childish mindset could see no exact reason in the explanation given to him.

"…I mean, that I've fallen for you." Eon leaned in and whispered possessively into Ben's ear, "And claimed you as mine, Benjamin Kirby Tennyson."

Before Ben could react, Eon secured the small jaw and crashed his lips onto the boy's. Ben gasped in horror, a distressed noise surging from his throat, but couldn’t find the energy to fight the man off. His limbs felt like lead extensions and the thick, deep pulses from his heart seemed only to spread the drug in his bloodstream more and more. Eon took the opportunity and plunged his tongue into the child's mouth, eagerly dominating the moist cavern and running his tongue along every crevasse, committing it to memory.

Ben was unequivocally disgusted. What was happening? This wasn't right, not at all! This was wrong in every way imaginable! He hated it, and Eon was relishing in his distress. Tears came and went as they collected in pools on the rims of his mammoth eyes and spilled in torrents down his cheeks. Even when he managed to direct a hand between them, he lacked the muscle to break away. The man moved his hand and fisted the tangled locks at the base of Ben’s skull. He pulled, forcing the backwards arch of the child’s neck and deepening the contact.

Eon's tongue brushed his own and he felt himself gag. His heart drummed within his chest; stomach fluttering savagely. He wanted it to stop. He didn’t want this. It felt so wrong… More noises resonated from within his throat, vocalizing his discomfort and lack of oxygen. Couldn’t fate take mercy on him and save him? What did he do wrong that made him deserve this? What unforgivable sins did he commit…?

Without warning, Eon pulled away quickly. An abrupt, prickly feeling enveloped him and the world spun. When it finally settled he couldn't think straight. He felt light, thin-skinned and cold.

He opened his eyes, which he'd closed at some point, and found himself on the bed in the room he'd woken in earlier, drowsy and tired. He felt his wet boxers stick to him uncomfortably, the rest of him bare. So Eon had brought him back… He blankly regarded the gray ceiling for some time, struggling to grasp an unperturbed train of thought through the sedative flooding his system.

Eon wanted him…for himself? It must have been a lie. Guys couldn’t like other guys…could they? No. Guys are supposed to like girls. At least, that's how he was raised. Not that he knew why exactly. Personally he thought they were icky. Too bossy, too complex, and with a born instinct to nag for every godforsaken thing you did. It didn't help that he still believed in coodies.

But besides that, he knew this wasn't supposed to be right. He'd never seen two boys who like each other more than just friends. Family wise it was different. So how could Eon fall for him…? Fear and confusion blossomed under his breastbone. He was now even more terrified than before.

He took a moment to control his breathing which had become suddenly harsh. He felt constricted and dizzy but what could he do? He lightly touched his chest and sucked in as much air as he could, but it didn't feel like enough.

Minutes passed. Twenty. Forty-five, he guessed. Still his breathing refused to ease. He wanted it to all be a nightmare. He wanted to wake up to Gwen's annoying voice and know this all was fake. He wanted to go back to how it was; arguing with her over nonsense and then going to eat some of Grandpa's gag-me concoctions for breakfast; spend the day with them, able to use the Omnitrix and fight bad guys…But he couldn't. It wasn't all just a nightmare. It was real, and that's what killed him the most.

He glanced at the lifeless watch on his left wrist. Its white face stared back, eerie in its silence. He tapped it, twisted its face. No response. He sighed softly, buried his face into the shaggy pillow, and cried.  
________________________________________

Gwen almost launched face first into the ground when Viskaas suddenly halted from its high speed run. Pausing until her heart caught up with her, she turned to the alien and asked, "Why'd you stop?" Despite her confusion and the rough half-hour she'd been riding on the creature, she hadn't gotten used to it and was relieved to have stopped for a bit.

"Be here we. Arrived," it responded, setting her down gently on the ground and looking up to the building before them.

"What? Really?" she shouted, only to have Viskaas clap its tail over her mouth to hush her.

"Quiet be Gwen, quiet she be!" it hissed. "Undiscovered stay us."

She nodded in understanding and the tail was removed from her face. She looked anxiously at the abandoned car factory that lay in front of her. Finally, she knew where Ben was being kept. She was so near, but still too far to save him. …Yet.

"I'm here Ben…Just hold on for a little longer. I'll rescue you no matter what," she whispered softly.  
________________________________________

The heavy iron door to Ben's cell was opened and he immediately shot up on the bed, furiously rubbing away the tears that had stained his face. Eon stood at the doorway, watching at him with impassive eyes.

Ben sniffed and turned quickly away, hoping he could avoid looking at the man as much as possible. Maybe, if he tried hard enough, he'd disappear, blending into the tattered bed. That would be a blessing right then.

Eon stepped in and shut the door behind him, eyeing the child for any indication that he may bolt. After a second, he approached, extending an arm and held out a small bowl covered with a cloth. The man cleared his throat when Ben didn't react. When still the child failed to respond after a moment, he glowered. "I'd advise you to acknowledge my presence if you value your well-being," he warned, fully inclined on hurting the child should the situation call for it.

The ten-year-old shuddered at the threat and met his gaze in defeat. A grin split the alien’s face; he gestured at the bowl. Ben took it hesitantly, glancing back at his captor for reassurance. When his response was a nod, Ben set it on his lap and pulled off the cloth covering it. He was a bit surprised when he found an apple and chunk of bread nestled inside. "Eat," was all Eon uttered before he turned and left.

Ben stared stupidly at the door then down at the food, meager as it was. After a moment of indecision, he decided he'd chance it being drugged as opposed to starving.

He inhaled the food within seconds; his body was clearly malnourished and he was grateful for the privilege of a meal. Nevertheless, the victuals were indeed drugged as he'd suspected, though, not in the way expected. His chest no longer felt constricted and his breathing came a lot easier.

"…My asthma…he knows about it…" the brunette marveled, falling back onto the ragged mattress, letting the bowl slip from his hands and tumble to the floor. "What's with this guy…?" he whispered to no one in particular.  
________________________________________

"Are you sure Ben's in here?"

"Viskaas sure, Viskaas sure!"

"Why are you helping me anyway?" Gwen inquired as she and the alien crawled through the maze of air ducts, peeking through every vent that led to a room. "What are you gaining from this and how do you know Ben and me?"

"Benjamin good boy, very good boy. My friend be Benjamin. Save me once he did. Talk all about annoying cousin he did." The XLR8 alien looked back at her. "Boy cares much for Gwen," it said surely.

A lump formed in her throat. "Oh…T-Thank you Viskaas," she said thickly, a small smile forming on her lips.

When they turned a corner into a wide circular air duct that branched out into many smaller ones they began to hear some movement. Slowly, quietly they crawled to the vent set in the middle of the circle and peeked down.

Twenty or so creatures were scurrying about, tending to unknown things quickly and somewhat noisily. Gwen recognized those deformed creatures instantly. They were Eon's minions. The little creeps who had distracted her and the Plumbers long enough so that Ben could be kidnapped. She clenched her hands into fists until her knuckles turned white, but didn't react much further. She was on a mission: Save her cousin Ben Tennyson. It was that burning resolve that kept her from losing it. She had to plan this out right. It was obvious that she and Viskaas were no match for Eon and his minions alone so they had to bust Ben out while keeping a low profile for as long as possible.

Easier said than done.

Neither she nor Viskaas knew where exactly Ben was except that he was in this huge car factory. Eon could be anywhere too and that wasn't helping their chances. What's more, Ben could very likely be dead already—a possibility that Gwen was horrified to even consider.

If he was gone, what would she do? She couldn't go on living that's for sure. Her guilt and mourning would drive her insane, maybe suicidal, who knew?

She shook her head and focused once again on the scene below her just in time to witness the kidnapper himself stroll into the room. Her green eyes widened, teeth gritting. Her muscles tensed and the hairs on the back of her neck rose.

She had to withhold a growl of anger and detest. It was Eon. There, right below her. Her brain leaped at the idea of casting a spell and killing the alien then and there. But then a flash memory of her cousin's face brought her back to her senses. That would never work. She was too inexperienced for something like that. It would most definitely backfire.

Gwen closed her eyes and took in some deep breaths quietly. Once sure she was calm enough, she locked her stare on the alien and strained her ears to hear the quick, low words coming from his mouth.

"…some clothing…for…I do not…sick…" was all she could make out before he stalked silently away.

When he disappeared, she spied two of the creatures scurry to a filing cabinet of some sort and open a drawer. One dug through it quickly and pulled something out. It took her a second to recognize what it was, and when she did, she was appalled.

It was some of Ben's clothes. It was a simple green t-shirt and a pair of white shorts. She remembered when Ben had lost them and turned the rust bucket inside out trying to find them but never did. She felt some bile creep up her throat. How long had Eon been watching them, stalking Ben, going so far as to steal some of his things.

"The sick bastard…" she growled quietly, thinking over some instances where things had gone missing, specifically Ben's, and wondering if Eon had anything to do with it.

Gwen almost screamed when she felt something brush her arm. Thankfully she didn't and peered up to see Viskaas looking at her intently, its tail floating next to her hand.

"Look and see, look and see," it whispered so softly she barely caught it.

Her head turned down to see Eon's minions scurry quickly away, the same two with Ben's clothing. Then it hit her like a sledgehammer. There was only one reason for the creatures to have Ben's stuff: they were going to where he was! How could she have not noticed earlier?

Viskaas was already crawling down the air duct that followed the creature's path and she hurried after trying not to make noise.


	4. Breakout

Her sticky palms seemed to suction-cup themselves to the metal panels below her fingers; a miniscule pop resounding each time she picked them up; her knees feeling thick and numb. Anticipation had her hands slick with sweat and she could feel the rush of adrenaline course through her veins. Ben was alive! She was so close to him, too, she just knew. But, due to that knowledge, it was difficult to keep herself at such a tedious pace. The anxiety surged upward with each careful gait, so sluggish, depriving her of her beloved cousin. She knew better, though. If she gave herself away, her hopes would come crashing down.

Left…

Right…

Right…

Gwen diligently engraved each turn they took into her mind, aware of the importance in knowing the escape route. Even so, she could not readily ignore how every inch seemed far too long, like a meter stretched out before her hands; time progressed glaringly slow. Peeking upward, she envied how Viskaas could move with such speed and still remain elegantly silent. Several times it had to pause and wait for her to catch up, and each time fear crawled up her limbs that they might lose the trail. But Viskaas assured her every time that they were fine; soothing her enough to maintain her sanity, though, at times, she was doubtful she contained any wisp of it.

At last, as she rounded a corner, she spied Viskaas settled above an opening, peering down with gleaming eyes.

Holding her tongue, she pressed forward, nodding her gratitude as the alien gracefully positioned itself on the other side of the vent opening to allow her view. Gazing down she watched the grotesque creatures halt before a metal door. They toyed with the lock and heaved the door open, grunting to one another as they proceeded inside the room.

Gwen felt her heart all but stop. There, as she spied through the open door, within that tiny cell of a room, was Ben. He looked thinner than she remembered—or had he been that way his entire life?—and his eyes were wide with fear as he scrambled away from the intruders. Nevertheless, she could barely withhold the tears of joy that spilled over her face. He was alive!

But just as swiftly did that euphoria grasp her did the situation resettle into her consciousness. She realized that this was probably her only chance to save Ben. From the looks of it, the door was the singular entrance to the room—the tiny barred window above instantly ruled out—and, right then, it was opportunistically open to her.

She had to maintain her focus as she heard Ben struggle and cry out against the creatures that worked at him with the clothing, swallowing her impending anger.

Glancing down, she judged the ground to be a good twelve feet below her. Getting down was simple enough—a jump like that was an easy bound for the acrobat—but returning with Ben in tow would prove much more challenging. On top of that, she had to worry about Eon's henchmen. How would she get past them without drawing attention? The last thing she wanted to do was alarm Eon to their presence.

She quickly considered the cyclone spell she'd used once before when they'd fought Charmcaster; it could surely propel them back up into the vent, but it was a push. She wasn't wholly sure that she'd be able to cast it correctly in such a short time and that fact negated its further deliberation.

Viskaas hissed at her, as if reading her thoughts. Gwen looked up at it. "Viskaas help boost Ben up, boost Gwen up, Viskaas help," came the rolling whisper and once again she understood how invaluable the gray XLR8 had become. The alien had touched her heart with its sincerity and reliability. Frankly she could think of no way she would ever be able to properly thank it.

Peeling her gaze away, she now had to find a way to hinder Eon's minions. She would have to get past them to reach Ben and time was running out. The creatures seemed to be progressing with Ben and she raked her brain for something, _anything_ that could help her. Then, all of a sudden, it hit her. The paralysis spell! It was something that she'd performed on some occasions and, regardless of its success rate, she'd have to settle; the seconds ticked by so very swift.

As she mentally ran over the spell and how she'd go about casting it, Gwen quietly loosened the bolts on the vent, gently tilted it and brought it up inside the airway. Shooting a quick look at the XLR8 she set her hands on either side of the opening and prepared herself for the drop. It nodded and she disappeared.

Tumbling to break the fall, Gwen pitched forward, drawing her breath and letting the magical prose seep from her lips as the fiends rounded on her. For a sickening moment nothing happened and her heart all but ruptured in trepidation of error, but then the writhing brutes ceased functioning just as she'd advanced on them. A relieved sigh tore from her mouth. It had worked, but she knew not for how long. Without a second thought she maneuvered around them to find a more than befuddled brunette.

"Ben!" she said quietly despite the sheer force of emotion behind each letter.

Acidic jades trained on her, mammoth and mystified. She didn't think it was physically possible for those eyes to grow any wider when he realized it was her. "…G…Gwen…?" he choked, uncertain if he was imagining her or not; praying he wasn't.

"Yes Ben, it's me," she smiled, trying to swallow the overbearing lump in her throat. Her hands trembled. She'd finally found him!

The boy gasped before a sob ripped from his lips. " _Gwen!_ " he cried, leaping off the bed and crashing into her, clinging to her, burying his flushed face into her shoulder as the tears spilled down his cheeks. His sobs shook his very frame as all the pent up anxiety and grief burst out of him in waves. Gwen held him; it was all she had not to cry as well—she needed to be strong for her cousin.

Suddenly Viskaas was at her side. "Go! Us need to go!" it hissed urgently, glancing warily at the petrified creatures and the emptiness outside the door.

Ben, whom had jumped at the abrupt appearance, tried to regulate his breathing as he questioned, "V-Vis…kaas…? What…are you doing…here?"

"No time!" it growled, seizing the ten-year-old and bolting toward the vent. Gwen followed suit.

Once Gwen made it over, Viskaas used it's free arm to launch her up into the opening before bounding up itself, Ben in its arms.

The boy gritted his teeth to stifle any utterance that might bubble up. He wasn't about to question anything, yet. And why would he? He would go along with anything they did if it meant escaping. And it was _Gwen_ for goodness sake! He could hardly express the unreserved liberation he felt when he saw her; a surplus of withheld emotions had swelled and burst out of him in tears that still stained his face. So when Viskaas jumped into the vents and set him down, he obediently followed Gwen's lead through the cramped maze.

It felt as if their progress through the ventilation system was just as sluggish as before; it was imperative they remain incognito. The only difference was, this time, they hoped to make it out before Gwen's spell clocked out. All the same, they didn't want to alert Eon prior to his minions freedom—he could be anywhere in the factory—for if he was, their chances of escape would disintegrate.

Gwen had to resist looking back to make sure Ben was still behind her, that he hadn't disappeared like a ghost, like he had when this all started. And, without a doubt, she was hard-pressed to do so. She didn't think she could handle losing him again. She recalled how her cousin had reacted when he'd seen her, how he'd broken down, his overconfident façade peeling to reveal the terrified ten-year-old child beneath. It was a miracle that she'd not cracked herself. The flood of emotions that slammed into her after seeing him was vastly overbearing, yet she'd managed to hold it in. Like she'd told herself before, it was for Ben's sake. He was caving and she was the bond that held him from fully shattering; she'd be damned if she ever failed him again. Now, as they continued their forced pace, the sounds of his soft breaths and sniffles as he futilely struggled to impede his tears reached her hypersensitive ears. The noises calmed her slightly. If she could hear him, then she could be certain of his presence.

They traversed a good ten minutes before the alien clicked its tongue in excitement. "Almost there. Almost there!" Viskaas cooed softly behind the brunette, encouraging the children as the outlet they'd entered through came into sight around a corner.

Abruptly, the metal beneath them trembled for a second before a vociferous explosion tore through the vents in their wake. Ben and Gwen screamed and scrambled for grip on the slick metal as the entire ventilation system tipped down toward the gaping hole. Using the last of its grip on the vent, Viskaas shoved the two kids forward and out the way they'd entered. As the cousins picked themselves up off the ground in confusion, the gray XLR8 positioned itself protectively between them and the building, crouched and snarling ferociously.

"W-What's wrong Viskaas…?" Gwen called questioningly, peeking around the lithe body only to gasp in horror as she sighted Eon materialize in a dark, grainy cloud. "Oh, no…" she moaned, feeling her stomach clench.

Viskaas' head snapped down at her. "RUN!" it barked, pushing her back with an outstretched limb.

"Oh dear," came the deep, accented voice from the shadows as Eon slowly, deliberately inched forward. He seemed amused. But that was the key word: seemed. "I hope you're not intending on _stealing_ my adorable little Benjamin now are you?"

Ben mewled in terror, pressing his palms to his ears and bowing into himself, shuddering. Gwen churned indecisively; her anger leaped at Eon, but her worry centered on Ben. The poor boy was traumatized by the alien.

"What do you mean "stealing" you sick freak?" Gwen growled, fists clenched at her sides so tight her hands were stark with lack of blood.

"Now, now. Mind you're words you _filthy_ child. You and your… _thing_ …are trying to get off with my _property_ ," Eon stressed his last word, grinning devilishly when Gwen practically burst a vein.

"Ben is _**NOT**_ your property!" she screeched rancorously as Viskaas held her back. Her blood seethed with pure odium. Never had she loathed someone—some _thing_ —so much as she did Eon now. She could practically see herself rending his face into indiscernible shreds with her own hands.

Eon chuckled darkly. "Oh?" he questioned. "Is that so?"

Gwen was abruptly aware of gargling sounds and she shifted to find four of Eon's minions surrounding them. When had they gotten there? She'd never taken notice of their approach. Swiftly, she seized Ben by the arm and sandwiched him betwixt Viskaas and herself; the XLR8 facing Eon, she his henchmen. But they were outnumbered.

"Come now, children. Let's achieve a consensus," Eon tried, opening his arms, palms facing up in an appealing gesture. "Benjamin will be returned to me, and in turn—"

"Never!" Gwen cut in, venom dripping from her lips. She would not let that alien have her cousin again. She'd promised to rescue him.

A scowl adorned Eon's once playful façade. "I grow weary of this game. Hand over the boy else I will take him by force," he spoke, the low tone burning with threat.

The sudden snarl that tore from Viskaas' throat was staggering in its ferocity—it was something bestial, horrific with its cogency, literally shaking the alien's form as it swelled out. Eon's minions drew back somewhat at this, uncertain if the XLR8 was not dangerous. The two ten-year-olds looked startled at the once placid alien.

"Viskaas will never let Eon get Ben, NEVER LET!" it growled, tail rushing up like a whip at the ready. Oddly enough, Gwen felt that it was trying to tell her something, as if there was some underlying message in its exaggerated—though not false—actions, but she couldn't quite place it. What could it be?

She looked over at Ben, and he at her, and within his emerald hues she saw the raw fear that plagued his very soul. Here came the epiphany.

 _Oh no_.

Gwen stared at the alien, wide-eyed. It had finally occurred to her what the unspoken message had been. It wanted her and Ben to escape while it played decoy.

A mixture of aversion and distress lapped at her heart. No! She wouldn't abandon Viskaas, she couldn't! Not after everything that had happened. Not after it had helped them in more ways than she could count. Somehow she'd formed a bond with the strange creature and it pained her to even consider such a betrayal.

Her head was shaking even as Viskaas tilted it's view back at her slightly. "Save Ben," it whispered, beseeching her with all of its soul pressed between those two little words. Viskaas acutely understood her sentiments because it too housed the same ones. Nevertheless, it realized the sacrifices that had to be made in order to accomplish their ultimate goal. " _Please_ ," it begged when the red-head failed to respond.

"But—!" she began to argue, unable to accept the singular option that had been given to her. It seemed too selfish, too cowardly an act to escape whilst the XLR8 remained behind to fight. Even still, she realized that her pleas were fruitless. Viskaas had her pinned and with each passing moment her plight presented less and less importance versus the very real danger they now faced.

Eon's minions shifted forward, grunting and hissing in anticipation, causing Ben to flinch. That was enough to influence her resolution. Meshing her hand tightly with Ben's, she shot forward. The creatures reacted, only to be hushed by the blur that impacted them within seconds. Gwen dared not look back as an infuriated shout tore from Eon's lips. She merely focused on the darkened path before her and the boy stumbling in her wake as he struggled to keep up.

' _I'm sorry_ …'


	5. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Non-con underage in this chapter. Attempt made; not too explicit.

What now?

Gwen frantically contemplated this fathomless query as she crashed through the dark forest, the projecting branches slapping brutally at her exposed flesh. They weaved betwixt trunk and brush as quickly as their feet could take them, bounding over ditches and gaining as much distance as they could. The dusk was profound; she knew that it was at its peak and that dawn was progressively approaching within a few hours. Still, the prospect of luminosity did little to ease her restive intellect. Daylight only meant it would prove harder to avoid their pursuer.

The red-head was jolted from her musings when her arm was wrenched back fiercely; she groaned at how it contorted her shoulder. Regaining her balance she looked back, confused, to find Ben attempting to right himself off the ground. Clearly he'd tripped in their rush; ironically he'd yet to articulate a single word.

She crouched alongside him, offering her hand in aid. Both children were hard of breath by now, but even so, Gwen easily distinguished the wheezing that dominated Ben's every inhale. "You okay?" she questioned once her inhalation had stabilized.

He nodded slowly, picking himself up and shifting to sit—he seemed blind to her outstretched hand. Winded still, he peered down at his legs and detected—none too joyously—the dismal splash of color smudged about his knees and shins. He grimaced, pulling up his hand for assessment, noting his right palm harmonized in shade.

Gwen cursed under her breath. Could nothing go right? But then she immediately lamented such a feeling. It wasn't Ben's fault, he couldn't help it. He'd evidently been hard-pressed to keep pace with her—if his ragged breaths were no indication—but then, how else would they have escaped?

Reluctantly she removed her sweater and bit at its sleeve, creating a niche and tearing a strip of fabric. She drew off several more and used them to wrap Ben's knees and hand. He sat uncomplaining throughout. Content with her handiwork she took the sweater and ripped off the other sleeve at the shoulder before putting it back on as a vest. "Is that any better?"

He simply nodded, accepting her help in standing this time. She could see it hurt him; his face was scrunched, biting his lips, and his movements rigid. Gwen worried about his quietness. Ben was never the overall quiet type.

Glancing around a new worry settled in the pit of her stomach:

Eon.

As much as it pained her, she knew very well that Viskaas could not delay Eon and his minions for long. If anything, the alien would've left his henchmen to deal with Viskaas and went off in pursuit of them. If that was true—and it very likely was—then they stood no chance against him. Her eyes stung with tears of frustration and anxiety.

She turned to her dear cousin. Unfortunately, she would have to ask too much of him. "Listen to me, Ben." Toxic irises trained on her, questioning. Nervously she cleared her throat before continuing. "I need you to try and transform into one of your aliens," her eyes flickered at his watch, "preferably one that can fly…Stinkfly perhaps?" Her reasoning was the hope they could abandon their tracks. Gwen knew that her feeble attempts at discreetness were far from sufficient.

The brunette gazed at his left wrist and the Omnitrix strapped to it, noticing, for the first time, its green face.

"D-Do you think you can?" Gwen asked softly, placing her hands on his shoulders, hating herself for having to do this.

Ben nodded slowly, eyes widening as he realized what that color really meant. Hand shaking, he touched the dial, twisting it to the first click. Both ten-year-olds gasped as the tech lit up and the silhouette of Heatblast appeared in its face.

"It works!" Gwen exclaimed, a smile cracking her face, a tear escaping her eye before she could blink it away; it was quickly done away with afterward. "Quick! Use it and transform…I don't know how close Eon has come to us," she finished in a whisper, worry once again dominating her youthful features. She knew that this was probably their only chance to survive this whole ordeal.

Ben flicked through the aliens until he spotted the one he desired. Looking up at Gwen, they both shared the same hope that the glitch prone device would accurately morph Ben this time. They could not afford any mistakes here. A mistake meant certain disaster.

With an assuring nod from her, he closed his eyes and pressed down on the dial. The blaring green light was short-lived and Gwen uncovered her eyes, breath abated in trepidation.

"Gwen…?" came the high-pitched, nasally voice.

The red haired child held her heart, a smile so wide it could have split her face in two blossoming on her face when she spied the translucent wings protruding from the back of Stinkfly. "You did it Ben!" she sighed, a tiny slither of hope and relief taking hold of her.

"I…guess I did," he responded in awe.

"Now let's get going! We need to find Grandpa and the rest of the Plumbers," she hurried.

"Right," the boy nodded, grabbing hold of her with his insect appendages and taking to the sky. Not even the stench of the alien form could bother Gwen at this point. Her only goal was to get herself and her cousin to safety. _Then_ , she thought sorrowfully of what had previously transpired that had allowed for this new hope, _I can get some of the Plumbers to go back for Viskaas…I hope he's alright_ …  
________________________________________

Eon spat at the unconscious XLR8 that lay before him. That wretched creature had taken a steep toll on his henchmen. Inevitably he'd had to step in and deal with the obstacle; his so called "help" proved to be everything but. Eon momentarily contemplated finishing the alien off, putting it out of his own misery. But he really hadn't the patience to waste more of his precious time, as ironic as that sounded. The longer he waited, the farther his prize was from his grasp. He couldn't believe that damned red-headed _brat_ had had the nerve to take Benjamin away from his rightful _master_.

The corners of his lips curved up a tad as that final word replayed in his mind. That's right. Benjamin Kirby Tennyson was his sole _property_. Eon was the boy's master. The boy belonged to him and there was no way he would ever give up such a treasure.

Because of his profound jealousy of the boy, Eon simply left Viskaas to pursue what was rightfully his, making a note to "deal" with it upon his return. Luckily for Eon, the two ten-year-olds were hardly accomplished at cloaking their tracks. This fact made the "man" highly smug as he pressed forward into the forest, stalking his prey.

Peering down at the ground, he could clearly distinguish which steps had been taken by Gwen and which had been taken by Ben. Gwendolyn's paces were calculated, controlled and refined whereas Ben's were shoddy and ungainly. The boy had never been as graceful as his older cousin.

His pursuit quickened. He coveted Benjamin. He _needed_ him. The alien frowned. Benjamin…how naughty a boy, to run away like that. Castigation was entitled for such confounded behavior. To this, Eon entertained himself with the thought that he would have to teach the boy how to behave. And, as much as he cared for the child, in his rage he vowed to beat it into Ben if need be. He would not stand for any more of this tomfoolery.

His fists clenched. ' _Damned girl!_ ' he raged silently when suddenly he took note of a change in the tracks. He paused, crouching down to inspect the earth beneath him. One of them, Ben most likely, had tripped and cut himself from the disturbance in the ground and the smudges of blood on surrounding leaves. And then…

Nothing.

Eon's eyes darted about. The tracks had simply ceased!

"No…" he muttered to himself. Something was wrong. Some clue was escaping him.

The epiphany hit him almost instantly.

The Omnitrix!

Of course, how could he have forgotten? With such a gap in distance his jamming frequency had no effect on the device allowing Ben access to its powers. Tilting his chin upwards, he gave the air a sniff and smiled. "Stinkfly", as the boy liked to call it, left a highly detectable scent in its wake. It was a fine idea, though not carefully thought out.

"Run as much as you like," he chortled, a malevolent smile creeping at his mouth, "but you will never escape me."  
________________________________________

Ben could virtually feel his pulse in his brain by now. They had gained ground since taking flight, but it was an intense encumber on Ben's fatigued body. He could hardly suck in a entire breath, let alone perceive a candid line—muddled, churning landscape was what he'd grown accustom to.

Gwen was not a heavy load, not in the least. The only quandary was Ben's own stamina and the failsafe of ten minutes on the Omnitrix.

He knew Gwen had immediately regretted asking him to do this, several times she'd insisted he leave her and escape on his own; at one point she'd become rather violent, flailing and shouting at him to just drop her. But each time he'd strictly refused. He would never do such a thing. He already reviled himself for not being able to help Viskaas. He'd been too much of a child to act.

A vivid image of Eon flashed in Ben's eyes and he nearly puked. What was he saying? He was utterly terrified of the alien; he'd barely managed a coherent notion in his presence! Eon had kidnapped him, drugged him, _violated_ him! Such experiences left a mark, a scar.

Ben's body trembled and Gwen looked up at him worriedly.

"Ben? What's wrong?" she asked, eyeing him.

Her voice broke through his thoughts and he looked down at her behind the face of Stinkfly. "Ah…nothing. I'm fine…"

"…Enough."

"What?"

"I said stop. Stop trying to be the hero Ben. Stop trying to be strong when you and I both know you're afraid!" she fumed, glaring at the moving landscape, fists clenched.

"…I…I told you, I'm fine," he lied, trying to keep a straight course as the world pitched sickeningly in his vista.

"Oh, please! Spare me!" the red-head retorted. "You really are a bad liar…Look I know I'm right, so why won't you let me help you?"

"Gwen, nothing's wro—" his plea was cut short as a shot pierced the air directly in his path. He swerved to evade it only to nearly collide with another.

The last second he tipped into a roll and this proved to be the limit of his stamina. Ben blacked out, nose-diving. Gwen screamed as Ben went slack.

"BEN!" she screeched. Desperately she tried to formulate a spell, but her mind went blank with fear as they plummeted.

The boy stirred suddenly. Instinct taking over, he latched onto his cousin, spreading his wings and beating the air to break their swift decent. He succeeded in cushioning their fall enough to avoid critical damage but was powerless to circumvent the landing. The two broke through the branches of the canopy and impacted the ground.

Gwen hissed at her aching form, slowly, rigidly picking herself up. She coughed heavily from inhaling some dust and spat the sand from her mouth. Then her eyes flared abruptly and she cast about worriedly; her gaze finally resting on Ben after a few tense moments.

He had changed back and now lay face down on the disturbed earth, unmoving.

She gasped and wheezed out his name through the grit in her mouth, crawling toward him, tears exploding from her jade eyes. ' _No, no, no, no, no!_ ' Her battered body dragged itself nearer to the unresponsive youth, ignoring the striking pain from her leg.

The sound of a body crashing through the undergrowth reached Gwen's ears.

Alarm struck the ten-year-old when her mind made sense of the situation. Whatever it was that had shot them down was approaching! Could Eon have tracked them down so quickly? But how?

With little more thought, the girl positioned herself defensively over the brunette, knowing her effort was futile, but determined to fight tooth-and-nail for Ben's sake. Her hand found a small piece of branch they had taken with them in their plummet and seized it, wielding it before her like a sword.

Her breath hitched as the sounds drew nearer and the bushes stirred not ten meters from where she was…it was all over from here.

And then a figure emerged.

"Get AWAY!" she roared, bearing the pathetic excuse for a weapon threateningly.

"…Gwen…?"

The girl paused.

"…Is…Is that you?"

That voice…it couldn't be. "M-Mrs. Dalton…!" she gasped, spying the dark-skinned woman surfacing from behind the bush.

"Oh, God! Gwendolyn!" she gushed, rushing toward the bewildered child, eyes pooling with tears of joy. "It's really you! But how—" She arrested when she saw the still form behind the girl. "BEN?" she choked, utterly shocked.

"Hey! What's going on over there?" came another voice from the brush. "Did you locate the alien?"

Mr. White halted as he stepped out from behind a tree, staring at the scene before him.

"…White…" the black lady said softly, her face split into an enormous but pained smile, "Go get Max."  
________________________________________

Old, trembling hands gently held the two delicate beings in a strong, but tender grip. By now his tears had dried, leaving his wrinkled cheeks stained with salty trails and relief.

"I thought I'd lost you both…" the man muttered, gazing down at his beloved grandchildren.

Gwen, who was sitting beside him, encompassed by one of his large arms looked up at him and smiled sadly. "Grandpa…" she murmured, unsure what else to say. Her eyes flickered down at the boy curled atop Max's lap, the man's other arm securing his head and shoulders, his tiny body resting on the adult's thighs.

The Plumber had refused to let either of his grandchildren stray from his side since their finding. Both had retained some injuries from the fall—nothing severe—but Gwen was the only one who'd remained conscious. Alas, Ben was yet cataleptic; pallid, hard of breath and fevered.

The adults had tended to the visible injuries as best they could, but were unsuccessful at waking the young brunette, so they waited.

It was difficult, especially for Gwen, who knew the alien was hot on their trail, but despite the Plumber's awareness of such a pressing truth, they had agreed to rest a bit before moving along; it was unwise to stir Ben and Gwen too much. The girl had to have her leg relocated; she was unable to stand on it for long before the pain proved too much and she had suffered a bruised shoulder blade. They had no choice but to call in backup and a special ambulance for Plumber matters from the next town over.

It had been a good fifteen minutes before Ben showed the first signs of life. Everyone present gathered instantly only to disperse a tad to allow space to breathe.

Fatal eyes fluttered open, followed by a pathetic groan of pain. Everything hurt; he wanted nothing more than to just fall back into that blissful pit of unconsciousness, but his insatiable curiosity held the better of him. Blearily he cast about with his irises, hardly making the effort to shift his head. He blinked away the blur that pressed everyone into a fat glob and focused his noxious hues as best he could manage. "…Wha…Gwen…?" he whispered, yet delirious.

"I'm here," she assured him, grabbing hold of his hand, rubbing the palm with a thumb soothingly. "We made it to the Plumbers. We've eluded Eon…" ' _I hope_ …'

It seemed to take him a moment to process it all before he allowed a tiny nod, slowly coming to his senses. "And…Grandpa…"

"Is right here Ben," Max sighed, moving a hand to stroke the tiny cheek.

"What happened? …What shot us down?"

"Ah," Mr. White interjected, abashed. "Sorry about that. We were searching for you two when we saw an alien in the sky. We never knew it was you! It was an inexistent possibility at the time…"

"Oh," he said quietly, feeling dizzy and overheated.

"Ben."

The boy looked up at his grandfather; he tried to sit up, trembling with the effort and the man aided him gently.

"I…" he began again, unsure of how to approach this matter delicately. He didn't want to stress the boy any more, but it had to be raised, however bluntly. "We…need to know what happened to you…Gwen has supplied her experience, but we must know your end. …What did Eon want? What…did he _do_ to you?"

The air fell thick and tense as all ears strained to hear.

Ben seemed frozen for a moment, eyes distant as he recalled what had transpired throughout his abduction; his pupils contracted to mere dots as if he'd witnessed something horrid. And then, after what felt like an eternity…the boy cracked.

A sob ripped from his chest, his eyes pooling and overflowing with unrestrained tears, his body giving in to the trembling, shuddering as the fear became palpable agony. His hands found his skull and he pressed his palms against his ears, trying feebly to suppress the echoes of the voice that so haunted him.

Max quickly embraced him and the boy screamed into his chest, clawing at his own tiny arms to try and hold himself together. He was only a ten-year-old. Still a baby; he knew not how to cope with such pent up stress.

Those gathered watched horror-stricken as the hero broke down before their very eyes. He'd always come off as strong, determined, and so unafraid of anything that they had forgotten he was just a boy. How shameful were they to lay the burden of global safety to such a tiny human being?

The old man rubbed the boy's back, aiming to sooth his distress. It was a simple, caring gesture, one he'd always done for the boy. But right then, it had breached some new level of security and Ben suddenly lapsed in terror. That touch…the touch of someone so much older…so close to him…he couldn't take it.

Ben shrieked as if burned and shoved from his stunned grandfather; scrambling away as he hit the ground, shaking his head furiously. "Don't touch me!"

"Ben!" Max gasped, hurt and confused by the sudden reaction. Something was wrong…horribly so.

"NO! D-Don't do it…don't t-touch me…" he sobbed, hugging himself protectively, knees curling up into his chest.

"…What?" He couldn't understand what had overcome the boy.

"Oh, don't take it personally, Max Tennyson," came a low, purring voice from behind them. "Ben's just a little…ah, shy." The alien sneered at the looks of pure odium that instantly trained on him, imbedding their proverbial daggers through his skull.

"Eon…" Max growled, staring down the one being in the entire universe he would kill without a second thought. He'd never felt such a bloodlust within him such as he did now, staring at that darkened statue of a man, and he could feel the pent up rage boil over. "Big mistake in showing your fucked up face around here!" he cursed—to the pure shock of everyone present—his face flashing crimson detest before he lashed out with his blaster and fired eight successive rounds.

"Grandpa!" Gwen cried when the alien materialized behind him and cuffed the gray-haired man roughly about the head, sending him straight down to earth. How the extraterrestrial managed to move so fast was unfathomable. One moment he was there and the next…he wasn't.

The red-head could hardly believe her eyes as each and every Plumber was taken down in a similar manner; only able to stare in shock as the adults crumbled beneath Eon's hands. How foolish was she to have thought they were safe? Her tongue thickened in her mouth; she had told Ben they'd escaped Eon, and she was wrong. This was no game. There was rage beneath those inhuman eyes. Now the danger was here at the threshold, extending its claws and fangs, lurching over a crack in the line to sink its blood-crusted limbs into their beings; and there was nothing she could do.

"I won't let you take him!" she shouted instantly, moving on instinct and positioning herself betwixt him and the brunette. But she could see that it was all in vain as he advanced above her. Her fear was evident. She posed no threat, therefore he dreaded nothing of her.

He smiled grimly at his prey, a sign of triumph, before mashing his lips together in a frown, glaring with such unrestrained hate she felt her heart jam her esophagus. His hand clamped down on her head and fisted her hair. She cried out in pain but was silenced when he chucked her aside.

She ate the dirt, literally, her body keening with pain and looked up in time to see the alien seize her cousin and hoist him up with a single arm, hearing his petrified screams and feeble attempts to fight back. She glimpsed the violet face of the watch before he turned away with his charge.

"Wait and see, young Gwendolyn, as I break this child and mend him into my puppet. Then…I will come for you and squeeze the life out of your filthy little heart barehanded!" he chortled humorlessly, disappearing into the awaiting forest.

She coughed the earth and punched the ground, unable to make her body move as she so desired. "No…" she mewled piteously, blood dribbling from her swollen face. She was too late.

"BEEEEENNNNNN!"  
________________________________________

"Let me go Eon! Please, please let go! I don't want this!" Ben wailed, beating pathetically at the adult's back. Not again. He couldn't go back! His whole body rejected it; trembling violently, fear tightening his stomach to where he would almost purge his body of the entire organ.

The man seared him with a glare that could delay a heart.

"You don't want this? _You don't want this?_ " Eon roared, hurtling the tiny body to the ground, eyes wild as his self-restraint went out the window. "Hah! I don't care if you want this or not!" He kicked the boy's ribs furiously, eliciting a horrible croak of pain, only to strike again at the sound. Still the child refused to submit to him? He lunged the boy, leering. "You _belong_ to me! You are my _property!_ "

The alien snatched the child's jowl violently and suffocated the youth with his lips. Ben gagged, his whole body lurching at its intensity and earned a blow to his temple.

Eon sat up, a sadistic look suddenly encompassing his face; he'd worked himself into a fine rage by then. He would teach the boy to accept him. Drill into him that he was no longer free of body or soul. Oh yes, Benjamin was his and his alone. Eon would brand the boy, suffer him the mortification of being at the man's mercy; so he shoved his hand inside the brunette's pants.

"NO! _STOP!_ " the Omnitrix bearer gasped, tears flooding his eyes in pain as the enormous hand squeezed him brutally, tearing his clothes in their vicious assault. His dreadfully frail hands fought a losing battle to defend himself.

Anything was better than this! Ben could hardly maintain his grasp on reality as the rough hands worked at his body agonizingly, touching where they shouldn't, rubbing, clawing and chaffing his skin with their fevered intensity. Not even the darkest pits of the underworld could compete with this form of torture.

A tough hand dragged up along his stomach, coming to his shoulder and wringing his arm until it turned purple from pressure. Teeth tore into the flesh above his collarbone with a bite just as the second hand jerked and squeezed his frailty excruciatingly; _that_ was never meant to be wrenched that way…he screamed.

The ten-year-old's incessant wails struck a nerve. The alien clapped a hand atop the noisy orifice, retracting his other hand only to strike the boy's tender area.

Toxic eyes flared, rolling back as a screech gargled mutely in his throat. He was losing his senses then and there. And subsequently, as it flittered by, he thought it a blessing.

Eon could see Ben was slipping and smirked sadistically. The boy would pay for everything now. He would pay for his insolence, for his words, and for his refusal of the man. Eon was his master and he the slave. He would suffer the end of Eon's might. And so, with a curt laugh, he took hold of one of the scrawny arms and…pulled.

The resounding "pop" signified the shoulders sever from its joint; three more chorused in its wake as the brutal alien proceeded to dislocate each of the boy's limbs. Ben's shrieks shattered an unleashed octave, virtually wearing the throat raw and bloody when a light burst through his eyelids.

Ben lost any sense thereafter, his body shutting down.  
________________________________________

The self-imposed silence ebbed at the red-head's sanity—was she even sane to begin with? The clock on the far wall ticked monotonously, oblivious to the heavy sound each click produced and how it reverberated like a quake in the skull of the girl. She stared though puffy eyes at the still body, knowing her brain had shut out all else. Even the steady flow of ache that traveled through her bloodstream could not sever her focus; screw medication, this pain was nothing in comparison.

That body simply lay there, inert, pallid and drawn.

How did it ever come to this? This was never supposed to happen.

The atrocity of it…It was all her fault. It had to be.

She hadn't been strong enough. She hadn't been fast enough. She had simply failed at everything she'd vowed to do, and that made her worse than scum. Someone like her didn't deserve to live on. If only she could've taken his place, taken everything he had to endure as her own burden…then perhaps her life would've served _some_ purpose. Yet, in the end, she had proved useless, as always.

Gwen briefly glimpsed the shifting of the alien on the other side of the room, flinching slightly as its wounds were disturbed; its eyes just as riveted on the form as hers were. There too, was a blatant example of her failure. Viskaas had suffered because of her and she felt the urge to rip her hair out.

The backup Plumbers were the real heroes, not her. They, having been forewarned of their enemy, had overpowered the threat by sheer numbers and artillery; regrettably, the target had escaped.

However, Max had struggled to convince her that it wasn't her fault, but she'd just laughed in his face, humor a foreign concept. Of course it had been her fault!

Everything was her fault…

So the hours drew by without indication as they had for several days. Nourishment was scarce in her body; she'd refused it each time, only to have an I.V. stuck in her as a result.

In her head, they should've simply let her rot.  
________________________________________

It was noontime, eight days post what Gwen had dubbed "Hell" when she woke from her bedside perch to a barely audible groan. She sat up suddenly, ignoring how dizzy the motion had made her.

"…Gw…e…n…" a ghost of a voice whispered after a moment, raspy, weak and broken; her eyes trained on the tiny face bandaged and nestled atop a pillow, chin obscured with sheets up to the neckline, tucked away like a baby. Her hand discovered the shivering one beneath the covers and she held it tenderly.

Muddled jades cracked open, confused and foggy; blankly they stared up past the ceiling into the heavens for ever too long before they dithered in her direction.

Gwen saw how those eyes pooled over with tears he failed to notice. His body remembered the pain, the fear, but his conscious mind held no glimmer of recollection. Ben simply watched her, lips twitching upward at the corners, quivering a tad. He was happy to see her…

And she let her own tears spill over her cheeks unrestrained, tiny _plips_ striking the bleached fabric. He didn't understand…he didn't remember. And how was she surprised? He was far too battered and broken to comprehend the sin that had tried to shatter his innocence. The poor boy was still in shock. Perhaps his brain knew that he'd be unable to cope with what had happened, thus it had blocked all memories off for the time being.

The boy lay there, smiling weakly at her, blameless eyes ignorant and hollow.

And she really couldn't understand how anyone would dare hurt such a tiny cherub such as him, because, all he ever did was care for everyone else. His pompous, stubborn exterior encased a boy who only wanted to protect the ones he held dear and those unable to defend themselves. Ben truly feared for his loved ones constantly, so he'd pieced together a façade that would keep him sane and label him a target instead.

"I'm here, Ben," she whispered, tenderly cupping her cousin's bruised cheek. Thankfully the swelling had quelled.

A sudden flush of air told her Viskaas had rushed to inform everyone of Ben's awakening.

"…Why…" Ben winced, exhaling quickly, but recovering shortly after, "Why are you…crying…d-dweeb…"

A short giggle leaped from her mouth before she could hold it back. She knew the insult was half-hearted and merely out of habit; his brows had pulled together in worry. The ginger shook her head. ' _I can't believe he's worried about_ me _in his state_ …'

"I'm not crying," she lied, petting his mop of hair lovingly; he unconsciously leaned into the touch. "I just got sand in my eyes."

The brunette eyed her tiredly for a second before his lips curved upward once more.

' _Rest easy Ben…you're safe now_ …' She smiled back as a door clicked open behind her.

 

…To be continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sequel, called "Body of Mine" will be up soon.


End file.
